Texans linebacker – Page 13 – Syndication Server

Texans cut OLB Duke Ejiofor following failed physical

The Houston Texans have cut former Alief Taylor standout Duke Ejiofor.

The Houston Texans released outside linebacker Duke Ejiofor on Wednesday.

The former Alief Taylor product played 12 games for the Texans in his rookie season after Houston selected him in the sixth round from Wake Forest in 2018. Ejiofor provided the Texans with nine combined tackles, a tackle for loss, two quarterback hits, 1.0 sack, and two pass breakups.

According to Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790, the Texans released Ejiofor because of a failed physical.

In the 2019 offseason, just before the start of organized team activities, Ejiofor tore his Achilles and was out for the year.

“It’s been unlucky,” then-coach Bill O’Brien said on May 19, 2019. “Duke’s a great guy and he just has had some bad luck. He’ll be back, though. He’ll be back at some point and he’ll have a chance to be a good pro football player. He’s a good guy, he can do a lot of different things, he’s a versatile player. It’s just one of those things. It’s tough. It was a fluky thing. It’s just bad luck really, to be honest with you.”

On Aug. 21, 2020, Ejiofor was placed on injured reserve once more after he tore his ACL and was out for a second straight season.

Texans cut OLB Duke Ejiofor following failed physical

The Houston Texans have cut former Alief Taylor standout Duke Ejiofor.

The Houston Texans released outside linebacker Duke Ejiofor on Wednesday.

According to Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790, the Texans released Ejiofor because of a failed physical.

In the 2019 offseason, just before the start of organized team activities, Ejiofor tore his Achilles and was out for the year.

On Aug. 21, 2020, Ejiofor was placed on injured reserve once more after he tore his ACL and was out for a second straight season.

Texans LB Kevin Pierre-Louis says ‘proof is in the film’ with Zach Cunningham

New Houston Texans linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis says the evidence for Zach Cunningham’s play can be found on tape.

Zach Cunningham led the NFL with 164 combined tackles and 106 solo tackles. The former 2017 second-round linebacker from Vanderbilt is a player other linebackers across the league know about.

Linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis, who signed with the Houston Texans in free agency, says that Cunningham is a player he has seen plenty of on tape.

“He’s a guy that I’ve watched a lot of film on,” Pierre-Louis told reporters on a Zoom call on May 20. “I don’t know him personally as of yet, but the dude is talented. He can make plays. The proof is in the film.”

Cunningham was the lone bright spot on a defense that could muster just nine takeaways throughout the 2020 season en route to a 4-12 finish. The 26-year-old collected 3.0 sacks, seven tackles for loss, four quarterback hits, two pass breakups, and a forced fumble through 16 starts as an inside linebacker in a 3-4 defense.

“It’s exciting to have the opportunity to potentially play next to an individual like that,” said Pierre-Louis. “He’s going to bring what he’s been bringing for the past couple of years, so there’s no doubt in my mind that everything is going to go well with him. He’s in the position he’s in for a reason.”

The Texans are transitioning to a Tampa-2 scheme with a 4-3 front. While some linebackers such as Whitney Mercilus will be playing as a down lineman, Cunningham will stay behind as a linebacker. His starting spot is the only one marked in ink at this point of the offseason. Pierre-Louis, who started 11 of his 13 games for Washington last season, is hopeful that he has one of the other two jobs alongside Cunningham locked down when Week 1 arrives.

Breaking down Texans rookie LB Garret Wallow’s contract

The Houston Texans signed fifth-round pick Garret Wallow to a four-year contract. Here are the details of the contract.

The Houston Texans keep adding members of their draft class to their payroll.

The Texans signed fifth-round linebacker Garret Wallow from TCU on Saturday.

According to Aaron Wilson of SportsTalk 790, Wallow’s four-year contract is worth $3.775 million with a $295,884 signing bonus.

Wallow, who played from 2017-20 for the Horned Frogs under coach Gary Patterson, collected 90 tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, five quarterback hits, and three forced fumbles in his final season at TCU.

General manager Nick Caserio told reporters on May 1 after the conclusion of the 2021 NFL draft that they selected Wallow for his flexibility as a 6-2, 230-pound linebacker along with his attitude.

“Wallow played, I would say, for a good defensive coach in Coach Patterson,” said Caserio. “They’ve been known for defense for a long time, and the way they’re constructed defensively, specifically to Garret — now, he was in the box a little bit, he played detached from the formation. Instinctive player, runs well, can close space, is a decent tackler, A-plus football makeup and character, which that’s important to what we’re trying to do.”

Wallow intends to be coachable throughout his rookie season as he seeks as much playing time as he can get.

“Just be flexible,” Wallow said. “Be able to play whatever coach needs me to play. Trust that whatever he has in mind is best for the team. Like I said, just be flexible and be good in whatever area that is.”

LB Garret Wallow seeks to be best teammate, leader he can for Texans

Former TCU linebacker Garret Wallow seeks to be the best teammate and leader he can for the Houston Texans.

The Houston Texans have more holes on defense than Whataburger has free spicy ketchup packets.

The Texans couldn’t stop the run in 2020, leading to their 4-12 record. Teams would pass the ball comfortably and control the pace of the game. Turnovers were nary with just nine to show for a full 16-game season.

However, new fifth-round linebacker Garret Wallow knows what his mission is as soon as he joins the team.

“The most important thing is just being the best teammate that I can,” Wallow told reporters May 1 during day three of the 2021 NFL draft. “That’s probably the most valuable thing I bring to the table.”

The Texans selected Wallow No. 170 overall in Round 5 from TCU. At 6-2, 230 pounds, he appears to more suited alongside Zach Cunningham and competing for fellow linebackers Jordan Jenkins and Christian Kirksey for playing time. Wallow seeks to be a leader, not so much by words, but by action as he strives to be the best version of himself.

“One thing about me is just leadership, so that’s one thing that I want to bring to the Texans, is just coming in and being the best leader that I can, being the best player for the team that I can,” said Wallow. “Definitely want to come in there and learn the playbook, be a smart player for the Texans and help out anyway that I can for us to win a Super Bowl.”

The Texans also would like to win a Super Bowl, which is why they hired Lovie Smith as their defensive coordinator. Smith was the defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams in 2001, who appeared in Super Bowl XXXVI. Smith was also the coach of the Chicago Bears from 2004-12, leading the NFC North club to an appearance in the Big Game at the end of the 2006 season.

“It’s just a beautiful opportunity,” Wallow said of the chance to play for Smith. “Like I said, just to be so close to home and playing in Texas as well, it’s a beautiful thing, man. It’s just crazy. As you can tell, I’m still at a loss for words. I’m just excited to get down there and get started and get things rolling.”

Texans LB Garret Wallow says TCU helped raise his football IQ

New Houston Texans rookie linebacker Garret Wallow says playing at TCU for coach Gary Patterson helped raise his football IQ.

Coach Gary Patterson knows how to get collegiate players ready for the NFL.

Since 2001, the first draft after Patterson took over as the head football coach, TCU has produced 55 players drafted by the NFL.

Make Houston Texans’ fifth-round pick Garret Wallow No. 56.

The Texans selected the linebacker No. 170 overall on Saturday in day three of the 2021 NFL draft.

According to Wallow, one of the benefits of playing for the Horned Frogs and Coach Patterson was increasing his football intelligence.

“I would definitely say they helped me raise my IQ, definitely helped me think of football differently more from a player standpoint and a student as well,” Wallow told reporters on a conference call on May 1. “I guess just really for smart-wise, definitely from a professional level. Definitely just prepared the best way possible especially being under Coach P, such a great coach.”

Wallow produced 295 combined tackles, 32.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, an interception, three forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries in 40 games with TCU from 2017-20.

What helped Wallow was Patterson, “holding everybody to a high standard, not letting anybody slack for nothing.” The type of environment Patterson cultivated allowed for Wallow to flourish.

“From that standpoint, definitely prepared me for where I’m about to be now,” said Wallow.

Texans pick TCU LB Garret Wallow No. 170 overall in Round 5 of 2021 NFL draft

The Houston Texans selected former TCU LB Garret Wallow with the 170th pick overall in Round 5 of the 2021 NFL draft.

The Houston Texans continue add depth to their linebacking corps with the selection of former TCU linebacker Garret Wallow with the 170th pick overall in Round 5 of the 2021 NFL draft Saturday.

To take Wallow, the Texans traded No. 174th overall in Round 5 and No. 233rd overall in Round 7 to the Los Angeles Rams.

The Texans signed former New York Jets linebacker Jordan Jenkins in the offseason along with former Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers Christian Kirksey. The Texans also have former 2017 second-round linebacker Zach Cunningham on the roster.

The approach by Houston is one to create competition on the roster.

“I would say, our football team, try to create competition,” general manager Nick Caserio said at the end of day two on April 30. “Again, they will probably be, I would say, we’re going to look at the board just like we did in the first few days, right? I mean, we’ll try to follow it horizontally and just look at different players at different positions relative to how we have graded them. So their role commensurate with their value and how that fits. So we’ll try to stay as disciplined as possible.

“So, again, I wouldn’t say it’s about one position, about one player. It’s going to be about a number of different things and that’s how we’re approaching it.”

Wallow produced 295 combined tackles, 32.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, one interception, four pass breakups, and three forced fumbles in his 40 games with the Horned Frogs.

‘Family man’ LB Jordan Jenkins pleased to play for the Texans

Newly signed Houston Texans linebacker Jordan Jenkins appreciates being able to play in an NFL city in front of his family.

Jordan Jenkins is a family man.

The Houston Texans linebacker signed a two-year, $6 million contract with the AFC South club, but one of the incentives of joining the team was having an opportunity to play in front of his family.

“I’m a big family man,” Jenkins told reporters on a Zoom call on April 8. “With all my family being in Houston, Louisiana and scattered parts of the West Coast, this is just honestly a dream come true.”

Jenkins was having a decent career with the New York Jets, who drafted him in Round 3 in 2016. The former Georgia product collected 189 combined tackles, 22.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, eight pass breakups, and seven forced fumbles through 72 games, 62 of which he started.

However, the travel from the sundry parts of the country, particularly the South region, was a little difficult. Not often did his family get to see him play at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

“That was the biggest issue, my family wanted to come see me play but I lived all the way up in New York and it was just a hard thing to happen,” said Jenkins. “Now, this might be one of first times I can get some of my girls – my grandma’s there, some of my grandparents, my great uncles can come out there.”

Jenkins’ family are actually “lifelong Texans fans,” and there was a sense of living the dream never coming true when the Texans didn’t take him in 2016. Instead, after the Jets took Jenkins at 85th overall, the Texans went ahead with receiver Braxton Miller from Ohio State at 87th overall.

Even though Jenkins is officially with the Texans, the notion of playing in front of his family for their favorite team seems surreal.

Said Jenkins: “It still hasn’t set in yet. It doesn’t really feel real. I’ve been talking to my parents about it and I don’t think it will actually feel real or like it’s actually happening until the first game when we’re running out of the tunnel and it’s like man, I never thought this would happen. It’s a dream come true.”

Jenkins is recovering from torn labrum surgery that ended his final season with the Jets after 12 games. The injury originally occurred in Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 27, 2020.

Jordan Jenkins unsure of Texans’ QB situation, but loves the new GM

New linebacker Jordan Jenkins does not know the situation at QB, but he really likes the Houston Texans’ new general manager, Nick Caserio.

It is anyone’s guess who will be the starting quarterback for the Houston Texans by Week 1 of 2021.

The club signed former 2015 Pro Bowler Tyrod Taylor, and also traded with the Cincinnati Bengals for Ryan Finley. The NFL draft at the end of April could also present another signal caller to battle for the job.

Then, there is always Deshaun Watson.

“I’m not really too sure on what’s going to happen on that side of things and I’m just waiting to find out like everyone else is,” newly signed free agent linebacker Jordan Jenkins told reporters via Zoom on April 8.

Jenkins, a former 2016 third-round pick of the New York Jets, knows there is uncertainty under center. However, there is a known quantity behind the general manager’s desk at NRG Stadium in Nick Caserio. The hiring of the former New England Patriots director of player personnel gives Jenkins confidence for the future, regardless of the turmoil at quarterback.

“What I’m trying to say is, I can’t wait to see what Nick is going to put together and get going to make a winning organization,” said Jenkins. “He’s been a part of a lot of winning organizations. I feel like he has everything — he has all the tools necessary to get it done.”

Caserio will have to wait until Round 3 if he seeks to fix the quarterback problem with a draft pick. The way that Caserio has chosen to fix the problems along the Texans’ roster is to sign sundry veterans to one-year and two-year contracts, including Jenkins, who signed a two-year, $6 million contract with the Texans, which became official on March 29.

Jenkins provided the Jets with 189 combined tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 46 quarterback hits, 22.5 sacks, eight pass breakups, seven forced fumbles, and five fumble recoveries through 72 games, 62 of which he started for New York.

Texans LB Jordan Jenkins says rehab for torn labrum is ‘going pretty well’

New Houston Texans linebacker Jordan Jenkins says that his rehabilitation from a torn labrum is progressing nicely throughout the offseason.

Jordan Jenkins demonstrated what an old-school football player he is with the New York Jets in Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 27, 2020.

The former 2016 third-round pick tore his labrum in the 36-7 loss to the Colts. With his shoulder out of socket, Jenkins wouldn’t let the training staff take him back into the locker room.

“Just playing the game and took a bad hit and my whole shoulder popped down and I didn’t know what was going on, I just knew it’s probably messed up,” Jenkins said. “The training staff came by and I just told them to pop it back in, pop it back in I’m ready to go. They tried to take me inside, but I just said to pop it in and just let me keep going and finished out the game against the Colts.”

Jenkins didn’t record any statistics, and played just 35 snaps on defense and seven on special teams for the game. His final season with the Jets was cut short with four games to play as he was placed on injured reserve in mid-December and finally had surgery to repair the torn labrum.

“I just had to stay in the training room doing a lot of rehab,” said Jenkins. “That was probably one of the toughest seasons of my career, having to try to play through that and then deal with everything else that was going on in the last season.”

Jenkins played 12 games, starting in all of them, and collected 32 combined tackles with three tackles for loss and six quarterback hits. Jenkins also had 2.0 sacks, a pass breakup, and a forced fumble.

As Jenkins’ rehabilitation progresses in the offseason with a new team, the 6-3, 259-pound linebacker is pleased with how it is going.

“I feel like my rehab is going pretty well,” said Jenkins. “I’m not sure when I’ll be back but I just know when I do, I’m going to be the same physical, run-through-you type of guy that I’ve been over the last five years. That’s something I take pride in being and just being violent and physical and aggressive. That’s one thing that won’t ever change about me.”

The Texans could use his violent, physical play as they seek to re-establish defensive dominance in new defensive coordinator Lovie Smith’s Tampa-2 scheme with a 4-3 front.